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• Rose, Ellen and Strand, Jessica

For dinner parties, people today want to sit down with friends without extensive preparation. That's the cry culinary booksellers Ellen Rose and Jessica Strand heard from customers at Cook's Library--so they wrote the book themselves. Arranged by season, their elegant menus for entertaining use fresh, flavorful ingredients and include helpful make-ahead tips. 24 color photos.

Ellen Rose founded Cook's Library, a bookstore in Los Angeles. She has judged the Julia Child Awards for the past four years.

Jessica Strand has written food and restaurant columns for the Los Angeles Times and contributes to numerous publications, including Wine & Spirits, In Style, and Australian Vogue Entertaining & Travel.